ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses a 24-year-old man who was involved in a road traffic accident and has a decreased consciousness level and bleeding head wound. As with all trauma patients, initially one would begin life support measurements in this patient according to Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) principles. Only when confident that Airway, Breathing and Circulation (A, B and C) were stable would one progress to Disability (D). The Glasgow Coma Score system was developed in Glasgow in 1974. It is the score used worldwide to assess conscious level according to response to stimulation in the three areas. As there is a strong association between head injuries and cervical spine injury, it would be important to complete the cervical spinal views, with abdominoperineal (AP) resection and open-mouth views. ATLS proposes that a CT scan should be performed on all head injury patients, but when resources are limited this is not often practical.
